Based on Peter Wyden's book of the same name, director Joseph Sargent's Emmy Award-winning 1989 TV movie Day One, originally broadcast under the “Hallmark Hall of Fame” banner, provides a stirring recreation of the events leading up to the dawn of the atomic era. Beginning with Albert Einstein's now-legendary letter to President Roosevelt warning of the potential for a Nazi nuclear program and culminating in the horrific bombing of Hiroshima, Day One is both historically faithful and dramatically compelling. The story of the atomic bomb's development featured larger-than-life figures, and the film's all-star cast brilliantly captures the eccentricities and energy of individuals including Presidents Roosevelt (David Ogden Stiers) and Truman (Richard Dysart), Generals George C. Marshall (Hal Holbrook) and Leslie Groves (Brian Dennehy), and scientists J. Robert Oppenheimer (David Strathairn) and Enrico Fermi (Tony Shalhoub). The scientific, military, and political dimensions of the atomic program are intertwined throughout the film as its various players race against time and battle each other to achieve an end product that would literally change the course of humankind. An intelligent, mature historical drama, this is highly recommended. (P. Hall)
Day One
Acorn, 140 min., not rated, DVD: $24.99 February 18, 2008
Day One
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